Cask Away Crew

Session 9

With Great Power Comes Great... Tomfoolery?

After the crew finish dealing with the shady fellow at RFT, they head out from his lair whereupon they spot the doorman approaching their position. Belarius, sensing a bad omen, decides running is the best option and sprints away, meanwhile the rest of the group are confronted by the doorman who relays information from Lolleth that the lich of 120 years past only had its physical body destroyed, and not its phylactery. He also explains that the lich was previously the magical aide to the then Marquess, but was unhappy with the way the city was run, and launched an unsuccessful coup.

After catching up with Belarius, the rest of the gang reunite with Leon and Marta back at the Cask Away, where the pair share what happened at the Church of Corellon, telling them of the feral monk and his vague letter regarding a secretive meeting. Likewise, the rest of the group update Leon and Marta of their findings at RFT, including the Potentiality Remnants. The team, with some passionate encouragement from Birin, decide to investigate the monk’s meetings whilst Haeden and Marven decide to perform an act of their own.

Belarius, Lynn and Ander upon reaching the temple of Corellon decide that Marta and Leon’s re-appearance in the area might not be welcomed kindly and it is agreed for them to wait in hiding until the three have finished their investigation. Upon the trio entering the church they question a distraught monk who had helped the other two the other time. With some careful probing and Ander’s intimidating presence they learned the “when”, but unfortunately not the “where”.

Meanwhile, Haeden, feeling partially responsible for the loss of Marven’s longbow, offers to assist him in carrying out a scam he’d been planning for some time. The two of them decided to create the image of a platinum coin using Haeden’s predistigitation spell and use it to buy a new bow. After locating a suitable weapons shop, the pair dive into a nearby alley and with a dull flash of blue light, create the image in Haeden’s palm.

Entering the store, Marven nonchalantly asks the proprietor to purchase a brand new longbow and 30 arrows. However, their plan suddenly falls short when the shop owner attempts to take the coin from Haeden, and is unable to touch the transient illusion. In a moment of adrenaline induced inspiration, Marven suspects that they might’ve had a higher chance of success if they made a physical Gold Coin appear Platinum. However, due to their lack of planning, this is not the gambit they went with, and the proprietor immediately see’s through the amateur spell and calls two guards to take care of the troublemakers using illicit magic for reprehensible exploits. In a last ditch attempt, Haeden tries to carry out Marven’s Gold coin disguise idea just as they are handcuffed, which does manage to trick the uninformed guards, but sadly not the shop owner and the they are arrested anyway.

On route to prison, Haeden is able to bribe the guards with eight Gold for their freedom, but they also have to carry out a small task for them in return. The guards weren’t happy with their current work schedule; always having to patrol in the evenings, missing dinner with their families. They asked Haeden and Marven to enter their boss’ office in the prison and change their work times, this way the guards have plausible deniability. Marven and Haeden agreed and were taken to the prison with open manacles and placed in unobserved, unlocked cell. Later in the evening when the prison is quieter, one of the bribed guards comes down to give them the signal, and Marven and Haeden make their way upstairs. Checking to see if anyone can see them the pair sneak into the office and search frantically for the ledger. Headen finds no such paperwork his in panicked hunt, but Marven takes a moment and attains some clarity, finding the timetable amidst the documents discarded from the desk. He studies the handwriting already in there, and changes the timetable with a similar cursive, hopefully imitating the boss enough that the subtle modifications go unnoticed. Working together to quickly reset the office, covering their traces, the pair of con artists make their way out of the prison incognito, after informing their municipal comrades that their task has been completed.

Upon their arrival back at the Cask Away, the miscreants are interrogated by the rest of the group as to their whereabouts. Assuming an air of confidence, Marven explains what happened, but ensures them everything is “taken care of”. The group collectively decide to think about heading towards Thesk, where they believe the Sun Blade is located, one of the Potentiality Remnants they are after.

Not long after, as they are enjoying dinner, the lively bar suddenly goes quiet after the entrance of a very rugged and muscular human male. Quickly noticing their large group of diverse individuals, he makes a beeline for their table. Ander swiftly informs his party that he recognises the approaching as Lian, a slaver from the mining camp Ander was forced to work in as a child. Lian explains that he has heard of their exploits, and intentions, and reveals that he is intimately familiar with their intended destination. Proposing to aid them in their quest for the Sun Blade, Lian simply asks for all of the rest of the loot they find on the expedition. Belarius negotiates a week to finish up business in the town to which Lian reluctantly agrees. Ander knows that this man is trouble; he can be ferocious and was actually believed to be dead, but nevertheless takes him up on the offer. Leaving the group as abruptly as he joined, Lian tells them to meet him in a week without fail, allowing the gang to finish the evening in the bar and get some rest for the next morning…

What will happen next time with the Cask Away Crew? Will Marven learn from his mistakes? And if Lian has survived the rockslide, who else from Ander’s violent past has survived too? And what of the aggressive monk’s meetings? How high does this corruption reach and what foul plots are being advanced in the shadows?